


Until Next Time, Sharp Shooter

by mysterioustrumpet



Series: The Robber and Sharp Shooter [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Disaster Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hero Lance, M/M, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Opposites Attract, Villain Keith, also lance? power-suppressing handcuffs have expiration dates, also pidge is the most Savage character i swg, did i put in a self-reference? yes. yes i did., every time i use they/them for pidge i get stronger, heroes & villains au, hint for the other one: the reason keith kissed lance in the first place, lance teasing keith? yes. but keith teasing lance?? EVEN MORE YES, one of keith's powers is like kosmo's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-06 19:24:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20512226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysterioustrumpet/pseuds/mysterioustrumpet
Summary: Keith shows up in Lance's bed with no shirt on, Pidge and Hunk tease Lance about his feelings, and Lance gets his revenge on Keith from last time. Make sure to check out part 1hereif you haven't already!





	Until Next Time, Sharp Shooter

**Author's Note:**

> *slaps hood of fanfic* this babey can fit so much klance-indulgence in it :))))

Lance’s humming echoed in his apartment as he nodded his head along to the song playing in his ears. He’d been listening to the song on repeat for the past few days and couldn’t get over how good it was. He hummed a few harmonies to the chorus before a vibration in his pocket alerted him to a new text.

He smiled at the text and called the sender. “Hey, Hunk. What’s up?”

“Lance, I’m gonna’ kill someone.”

Lance laughed and took a seat on his couch, stretching out his long legs on the soft cushions. “Sure, sure. Do you want Pidge to arrest you, or should I?”

Hunk groaned, and Lance could hear his voice muffle as he likely plopped his face on his table. “It’s this villain I’m chasing. He’s not even a more well-known villain, just someone who’s been lighting bonfires in random places around town. But Shiro thinks he could get more violent if left alone, ‘cuz he’s dealing with fire.”

Lance nodded. Their boss took every precaution to make sure the civilians of their city were safe, and for that, Lance greatly admired him. “He’s got a point. So tell me about this bonfire villain.”

The two carried their conversation for a few more minutes, with Lance laughing at the ridiculous things Hunk described himself having to do in order to catch this villain, when out of nowhere a loud _ THUMP _ sounded from Lance’s room. He immediately stood up, his senses on alert.

“Hunk, wait.” Lance interrupted his friend in a hushed voice. “I just heard a loud noise from my room.”

“A loud noise?” came Hunk’s serious reply.

“Yeah,” Lance said. He kept his steps soft and slow as he crept towards his room, his heart becoming louder as it slid down to his stomach. “Just stay on the phone with me.”

“Do you have your pistol on you?”

Lance took a few extra steps so he could grab his weapon from its case, hooking a paralyzer ball into the ammo compartment. “Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll be here.”

Without giving an answer, Lance made his way back to his room and tried to keep his heartbeat from giving him away. The door was slightly ajar, and his pulse picked up speed as he peered through the opening. He could just barely make out a shadow laying on his bed, the sparse moonlight filtering through his window not reaching far enough inside to highlight anything. Lance swallowed, braced himself, and shoved the door open to turn on the lights.

“Freeze!” he yelled, pointing the gun at the culprit. Then he blinked and his stomach dropped when he realized who it was. 

Keith Kogane laid strewn on his bed, his head propped on one hand and his shirt nowhere to be found. His gaze took its time covering Lance from head to toe before making its way back up to Lance’s stunned expression. “Hey there, Sharp Shooter.” He winked.

Lance promptly shot him.

The bullet made a crackling sound as it came into contact with Kogane’s forehead, causing Kogane to writhe on the bed as the paralyzer took effect. Thin sparks of blue lightning arced around Kogane’s body, and a few seconds later he was knocked out cold. Lance heaved a noise that sounded like a mix between a groan and a sigh. Staring at Kogane’s unconscious form, Lance was reminded of what happened just a few weeks ago, and he had to suppress the urge to wake Kogane up just so he could shoot him again.

“Lance? Everything okay?” Hunk asked, his voice tinny through the phone. “I heard you shoot!”

Lance sighed again. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just, uh, I need you and Pidge to come over. Like, now. There’s a situation I need help with.”

He could hear Hunk’s confusion. “A situation? What’s going on, Lance?”

“Keith Kogane is here.”

A pause. “Keith Kogane.”

“Yeah.”

“Keith Kogane as in The Robber? Keith Kogane as in the villain who stole $50,000 worth of priceless artifacts from the history museum last year? Keith Kogane as in the villain who humiliated you by—”

“Yes, _ that _ Keith Kogane!” Lance interrupted, cutting Hunk off before he could say anymore. If Lance never thought about _ that incident _ again, it would be too soon. “He just showed up out of nowhere.”

“Well, we all know how unpredictable he is,” Hunk replied. “Hang tight, Pidge and I’ll be there soon. Just make sure Kogane doesn’t get away.”

“Trust me, I don’t think there’s much to worry about,” Lance muttered. He hung up and set his phone and pistol on his dresser before taking in the scene again. Kogane had come in through the window. Typical. But now that Lance looked closer, he could see a few scrapes and cuts on Kogane’s body, and the urge to help the villain flooded over him. Lance groaned and paced a few steps in front of the bed. Should he help him again? No, Lance’d already done enough in terms of treating Kogane. Besides, the cuts didn’t look that bad. Kogane would probably be fine. But what if they got infected? Lance didn’t know where those cuts came from. 

“Hmph. Who does he think I am, his personal nurse?” Grumbling, Lance took out a box of antiseptic bandaids from his nightstand and proceeded to cover the cuts and scrapes. As he removed a bandaid’s backing paper, he noticed that the previous wound on Kogane’s abdomen had healed over completely. The only betrayal that he’d been hurt at all was that the area was slightly pinker than the skin around it. Despite himself, a smile pulled at his mouth. At least Kogane had put Lance’s supplies to good use after he’d made off with them. 

Lance’s smile faded. Kogane wasn’t even badly hurt this time, though. So what was he here for instead? Warmth stained Lance’s cheeks when he remembered Kogane’s note, and Lance shook his head until his vision blurred. _ Get your mind out of the gutter! _He finished covering Kogane’s cuts, brought out a pair of power-suppressing handcuffs from his safe, and cuffed him to Lance’s bedframe. At least this way Lance knew he’d stay put.

* * *

Man, Lance had a nice coffee table. It was a rich reddish-brown color, rectangular but not too big, and its rounded corners gave it an elegant feel. And because Lance took good care of it, it was hardly scratched. He thought about these things as he admired the dark brown swirls on its shiny surface. He could spend all day looking at his coffee table. And Lance might end up having to do that if this continued. 

Hunk and Pidge hadn’t said a word since arriving. They’d taken a few moments to check out the Kogane situation, and since then they’d been sitting on the couch with scrutinizing and/or suspicious expressions on their faces. Sweat beaded on Lance’s forehead as another minute ticked by with Hunk and Pidge’s gazes digging into him, and with Lance staring at his frickin’ coffee table in an effort to avoid them.

“Anyone want something to drink?” Lance asked finally, unable to take the silence.

“What the hell’s going on, dude?” Pidge asked, their tone incredulous. They took off their glasses to pinch the bridge of their nose. “Keith Kogane’s a villain, you know. And, last I checked, your sworn enemy!”

“Don’t you think I know that?!” Lance cried. “But he just _ showed up _ out of nowhere! What was I supposed to do?”

“Call the association, for starters,” Hunk replied.

Pidge nodded and pointed their glasses at Lance in an accusatory fashion. “I think something else is going on. We saw that you’d treated his wounds and put a glass of water on the nightstand for him.”

“What if that glass of water is for me? What if I wake up in the middle of the night and I’m thirsty?” Lance retorted.

“Lance, you sleep like a log,” Pidge fired back. “There’s no way Hunk or I would go to lengths like that for Kogane, or any villain for that matter.”

“That’s a good point,” Hunk agreed. He fixed Lance with a face that was curious more than anything else. “Why _ didn’t _ you call the association? We should be arresting him right now.”

Lance knew it was fair of them to ask. But he had no idea how to explain his situation with Kogane and not come off like a lovestruck idiot. Which he wasn’t, he reminded himself. There was no way he felt anything similar to “love” for Keith Kogane. But there was _ something _, and every interaction with Kogane just served to strengthen that something, leaving Lance suspended in a kind of limbo. A limbo where there were so many things that could go wrong if one thing about his relationship with Kogane were to change, so the best-case scenario was to stay frozen and pray everything stayed the same.

Lance fiddled with the hem of his shirt, words refusing to come to him. “I—”

“Does it have something to do with the trap incident?” Pidge asked.

Warmth crawled up Lance’s neck and he shot to his feet. “No!” Yes. It had _ everything _ to do with the trap incident.

Now Hunk looked concerned. “Dude, that’s definitely a ‘yes’. Something happened between you two, didn’t it?”

“What?! No way, dude! There’s nothing going on between me and Kogane! Nothing at all! I mean, Pidge said it themselves, Kogane’s my sworn enemy. So why would there be anything going on between us? Kogane’s nothing but a trouble maker, in the first place. And he’s a registered villain! I would be digging my own grave if I got involved with him.” Lance knew he was rambling, but it was like he couldn’t stop. When it came to Keith Kogane, Lance seemed to lose all reason. He was Sharp Shooter, his precinct’s most promising young hero, and yet all Kogane had to do was _ look _ at him and Lance was putty. Even _ Lance _ didn’t fully understand why Kogane had that effect on him.

Pidge sighed. “You denied that way too many times for it to have been true. Why don’t you try telling us what’s going on? We might be able to help.”

Lance took in his best friends’ faces. Pidge, who was more sarcastic and dry than Lance and Hunk put together, was also a genius and gave amazing advice when Lance needed it. Hunk, who was usually coming to Lance for advice, also knew how to comfort him and make him believe that everything would turn out okay. Lance knew he couldn’t keep secrets from these two, and he didn’t want to. He’d try to tell them all he could about Kogane.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Lance said quietly. He sat back down in his chair and clasped his hands together. “Kogane . . . A few weeks ago he showed up at my door looking like he’d been dragged through Hell and back.”

Hunk snorted. “Not that he doesn’t deserve it.”

Lance glared at him. “It was more than that. It was like, like he’d seen or been through something unimaginable. And the wounds on his body were definitely caused by someone, _ something _ else. And you guys know what Kogane’s normally like. It was . . . _ surreal _, to see him like that.”

One of the upsides of having his two best friends in the same hero precinct as Lance was that the three of them had become an almost flawless team in the years since they’d become official heroes. That also meant they knew Kogane’s antics almost as well as Lance did. Keith Kogane, known by his hero name ‘The Robber’, was calculated, crafty, and always got away. He knew exactly what to do to execute his plans, and he fought with a certain flair that Lance could never predict. His power of teleportation made him arrogant, infuriating, and a thorn in Lance’s side. He was also possibly one of the most beautiful men Lance had ever seen, but he was mostly the other things. Yeah. Mostly.

Hunk’s eyebrows scrunched together as he took in Lance’s words. “But, then, why is he here now? Why isn’t he in jail, or a hospital at least?”

Crap. Lance hadn’t taken into account the fact that he’d have to explain that _ he _ had been the one to nurse Kogane back to health. His pulse picked up, leaving Lance swallowing as he tried to get rid of the dry feeling in his throat. “Um, w-well, that’s—”

“Hello? Helllooooo?” Lance turned in his seat at the sound, his eyes widening at the sing-song voice coming from his bedroom.

“I hate him so much,” Lance muttered.

“Well, since we’re here already,” Pidge started, standing up, “let’s go greet your _ guest _, shall we?”

Lance would literally rather do anything else, but unfortunately his luck wasn’t in the cards tonight. He dragged his feet behind his friends, sent a silent prayer that Kogane wouldn’t do anything to embarrass him more than he already was, and stepped into his bedroom. Kogane had his eyes trained on a book he held in his handcuff-free hand, sending pinpricks of annoyance through Lance when he realized Kogane had started reading a book from Lance’s nightstand.

“Really?” Lance demanded. He walked around the bed to snatch the book from Kogane’s hand. “It’s not enough for you to dirty my bed, you have to touch my stuff, too?”

“Dirty your bed?” Kogane asked, feigning innocence and blinking up at Lance. “How in the world would I do that? Please give me some ideas, Sharp Shooter.”

God, could this situation get any worse? Heat painted Lance’s face red, much to his chagrin, and he grit his teeth. “Do you _ want _me to shoot you again? ‘Cuz this is how you get shot again.”

“Woah,” Hunk said. One glance at his friends and Lance knew he was in hot water now. “Lance, is there something you wanna’ tell us about you and The Robber?”

“NO!” Lance yelled at the same time Kogane sang, “Yes!”

“Okay, hold up.” Pidge raised their hands as they took in the situation. “Before we address the issue that seriously needs addressing, let’s figure out what we’re gonna’ do with him. All in favor of bringing him to the association?” Hunk, Pidge, and Lance all raised their hands, with Kogane looking slightly bored. “Alright. So let’s do that. Lance, bring me your gun.”

Lance could do nothing but sigh. “Okay.”

As Lance left the room he could hear Kogane call out behind him, “Wait, you’re not gonna’ shoot me again, right? Please tell me you won’t!”

* * *

Evading Pidge and Hunk’s interrogation ended up being harder than Lance had anticipated. Their questions barreled at him from all sides as they dragged an unconscious, handcuffed Kogane to their precinct. And although Lance did his best to downplay any sort of attraction he had to the now thankfully clothed villain, it was clear from his best friends’ expressions that they in no way believed him.

Pidge turned to him in the passenger seat after they closed the door. “Listen, if you wanna’ bang this guy—”

“Pidge!” Lance cried. “For the last time, it’s not like that!”

Pidge didn’t look fazed. “Uh-huh. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, if you wanna’ bang a registered villain, go ahead. I think you’d be an idiot to do so, but, hey, it’s no skin off _ my _ back.”

“Wow, Pidge,” Lance deadpanned in a monotone voice. “Thank you so much for your blessing.”

“Just sex is one thing, but getting feelings for him?” they continued. “That’s where Hunk and I’ll step in and question your sanity.”

Tension numbed Lance’s jaw as he clenched his teeth. “I told you guys, _ I’m not into Keith Kogane!” _

Hunk caught his gaze in the rear view mirror, one side of his mouth pulled up in amusement. “You can deny it all you want, dude, but it’s written all over your face.”

Lance leaned his head back against the seat and let out a groan. “Why am I friends with you again? No, don’t answer that. I don’t wanna’ know why.”

The rest of their ride was accompanied by a game of _ Fuck, Marry, Kill: Villain Edition, _ with Pidge reading out names from the villain database and Hunk and Lance doing their best to answer. Lance laughed at the more outlandish answers and discussed reasonings when necessary, but his mind was still stuck on what Pidge had said earlier. He wasn’t into Keith Kogane. Okay, maybe a little. _ Okay, _ maybe a _ lot. _ Lance knew himself better than to ignore the way he felt when he thought of Kogane. But it was purely physical attraction. Was it? No, it was. _ But was it, though?? _ Lance would give himself whiplash if he continued down this road.

Drawing quite a few strange glances from onlookers, the three of them hauled Kogane’s limp form into the hero’s association building. Lance ignored the other people in the elevator the entire ride up, and, after parting ways with Hunk and Pidge, Kogane had a new home in a chair beside Lance’s desk Lance made sure Kogane was handcuffed to his desk, squared his shoulders, and walked over to knock on Shiro’s door.

“Come in,” came the muffled reply.

Lance swallowed his racing pulse and stepped inside. “Hey, Shiro. Uh, I have a sort of situation.”

Shiro set down the paper he was looking over and took off his reading glasses. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

Lance relayed the information to Shiro, telling him about the unnamed thing that had attacked Kogane a few weeks ago, and how he was now in their possession. Shiro’s face remained unchanged throughout the exchange, which Lance appreciated, and he finished off his report by letting Shiro know that Kogane was now chained to his workstation.

Shiro let out a long whistle when Lance was finished. “Hm. That _ is _ a situation.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when it first happened,” Lance said. “I guess I got stuck in my own head.”

Shiro gave him a patient smile. “I’m not going to lie, I wish you’d brought this up earlier. But, it’s better late than never. Plus you actually have The Robber with you now. Better than nothing, right?”

Lance grinned. “Right.”

“Now, what to do about him.” Shiro crossed his arms over his chest as his gaze grew thoughtful. It took him a while to speak again, and when he did it was with a glint in his eye. “He’s under your custody.”

Lance blinked. “Sorry, what?”

“You heard me.” Shiro faced him with a calm gaze. “You made the arrest, so he’ll be under your custody for the rest of the day. Besides, we won’t have anywhere to put him for a while with all of our holding rooms full.”

Feeling himself about to slip into despair, an idea lit up in Lance’s head that made him stand straighter. “So, I can do whatever I want with him?”

Shiro chuckled. “That’s one way to put it. Obviously you don’t want to take him on a tour, but essentially, he’ll be yours.”

Lance nodded, his mind already a million miles ahead. “I don’t want to take him on a tour. Got it.”

* * *

“Everyone, look! Look who I caught!” Lance called, clapping his hands together as loudly as possible. “I caught The Robber!”

His fellow heroes looked over at him from their respective tasks, the room a bag of mixed reactions that Lance couldn’t feel better about. A couple people cheered, a few clapped, some people went back to their work without a second glance, and others just chuckled to themselves. And Kogane’s reaction was the cherry on top. With his eyebrows low over his eyes and his mouth practically drooping off his face, he looked thoroughly irritated. He met Lance’s gaze and his frown deepened, making Lance even happier. 

“I hate you,” Kogane muttered. “So. Much.”

“Don’t worry, bud,” Lance soothed, patting Kogane’s shoulder. “The feeling’s mutual. Now, let’s see some of the city, shall we?”

Kogane balked. “_ Excuse me? _” 

Lance put his face up to Kogane’s, ignoring the tug in his gut when Kogane’s eyes flicked over Lance’s lips. “My boss said I don’t want to take you on a tour. And he was right. I don’t _ want _ to take you on a tour, I _ need _ to. For my own benefit.”

Kogane’s face crumpled in ire. “Lance, you—”

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” Lance allowed his gaze to roll over Kogane’s face and body, enjoying the way Kogane’s cheeks flushed. “And I’m going to savor every second of it.”

So he did.

“Excuse me, are you the owner of Mel’s Treats?” Lance asked.

The older, portly man behind the counter nodded after a beat of hesitation. “I am, why?”

“Can you do me the biggest favor and take a picture of me and The Robber, please? It’s an important occasion.”

Mel’s eyes widened. “So, that _ is _ The Robber!”

“No worries, he’s under my custody as a registered hero of the state,” Lance assured him, bringing out his hero license to display. “I just need a photo. Or two. Please.”

If Mel’s eyebrows could climb any higher they’d be off his face. “Um, okay.”

“Thank you. You’re a good man and an institution to this city.”

Lance posed next to Kogane in front of the store sign, two fingers up in a peace sign and an overly enthusiastic smile on his face while Kogane’s expression said he would rather be lying in a ditch somewhere dead. Then Lance hooked his arm around Kogane’s neck and wrangled him in a side hug, pressing their cheeks together and shooting the camera a wide grin. After a thoroughly confused Mel handed Lance his camera back, Lance bought a mint chip ice cream cone from him and eagerly bit into it. 

He held the cone out towards his captive. “Want some?”

Kogane eyed the cone. “Why?”

“You must be a little hungry, right?”

Kogane’s eyes narrowed further. “I mean, why would you give me some of your ice cream?”

“Because I’m feeling charitable,” Lance replied. “Today is a _ fantastic _ day, and not even being stuck with you can ruin that. So, want some or not?”

Kogane was silent for a beat before he shrugged. “Fine.” He took a bite of the sweet, his eyes widening in surprise. “It’s good.”

“Of course!” Lance said, retrieving his cone and licking up some of the ice cream dripping on the sides. “Mel’s Treats has the best ice cream in the city.”

“You know, technically we just shared an indirect kiss.”

Coughing interrupted Lance’s reply, forcing him to stop and try to get his breathing back under control. He faced Kogane with a red face and a hoarse voice. “Kogane, I swear that’s the last time I do something nice for you.”

Kogane snorted. “Right. I bet that’s what you said last time, too.”

_ God, I must look like a tomato. _“I mean it, Mullet-Head! Don’t ruin this for me.”

“Sure, sure, Sharp Shooter. Where to next?”

“City hall! The whole government must know that I captured you!”

“You’re such a dork.”

“Shut up!”

So they took pictures at city hall. And the library. And the local park. And the 7-11 opposite Lance’s apartment complex. Anywhere Lance could think of where he could show off his achievement, he’d drag Kogane along by his handcuffed wrists. Some other people took pictures of them, at one point, when Lance dragged Kogane to his favorite Cuban restaurant for lunch. Apparently The Robber was more infamous than Lance had thought, with quite a few people gazing at the two of them in awe. Lance almost inhaled his food when a couple of teenagers asked Kogane for a picture with him, and who was Lance to deny the public what they wanted? All the while Kogane shot him death glares, but Lance caught him smiling a couple times when he thought Lance wasn’t looking. 

Finally, the two returned to the hero association, plopping into the chairs at Lance’s desk with heavy sighs. Lance exchanged a glance with Kogane and laughed. “God, today was fun. I got to show the whole city that I managed to catch you.”

Kogane groaned, a grin on his lips despite himself. “Can you give it a rest, already? Great, you caught me. But guess what? You never would have caught me if I hadn’t shown up in your bed in the first place.”

Lance narrowed his eyes. “Hmph. Speaking of which, why _ did _you show up? It’s not like you needed me to tend to your papercuts.”

“Hey, I won those papercuts in a fight fair and square.”

“Why were you there, Kogane?”

“And while we’re at it, can you quit calling me Kogane and just use my first name? It makes you sound so unfriendly.”

Lance rolled his eyes. His question wouldn’t get answered unless he went along with Kogane’s—Keith’s—demands. “Fine, _ Keith _. Why were you in my bed?”

Keith grinned. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Just answer the question!”

Keith sighed and slumped in his chair, a carefully neutral expression replacing his grin. He was silent for longer than necessary, and a thin current of misgiving itched underneath Lance’s skin. Keith’s expression was similar to the one he’d worn when Lance had asked him about his life-threatening injuries. Was Keith’s reason for popping up again related to that? Lance swallowed. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

After a few minutes that felt like years, Keith finally opened his mouth. “I—”

“Hey, Lance.” Hunk stopped a few steps shy of his desk and held out a folder to him, harried, and out of breath. “I need your help with the villain I told you about. I just had another run-in with him across town and I swear he comes up with the most convoluted plans for nothing. Shiro’s already signed off on it as soon as you’re done with Kogane.”

Lance’s gaze slid to Keith, but the latter studied his handcuffs with a soberness that gave Lance pause. This serious side of Keith caught Lance off guard, slightly tightening his stomach and sending his mind whirling. Lance took the file from Hunk and told him he’d look at it, but he couldn’t ignore the unease that swirled in his gut. Keith didn’t look like he was in the mood to answer anything now, and all Lance could do was sigh through his nose as he opened the case file.

“‘Villain name: Bonfire. Active status, level two threat’,” Lance read, hoping to distract Keith a bit. “‘Signature is creating mini-bonfires in the middle of empty spaces, such as streets, parking lots, or underpasses’.”

“Pfft. A villain who sets bonfires is named ‘Bonfire’? That’s original,” Keith muttered.

Lance shrugged. “Hey, I’m not the one who comes up with the names. It’s probably someone neither of us has any clue about, like some college student in California who writes fanfiction in their spare time.”

“Yeah, otherwise I wouldn’t be named ‘The Robber’. How lame of a name is that? It should be something cooler, like ‘Red Lion’ or ‘The Paladin’,” he said, his eyes lighting up at the thought.

Lance snorted. “Those names are way too hero-sounding to be applied to you, Mr. ‘I Stole the Mayor’s Prized Painting and Didn’t Give it Back Until My Ridiculous Demands Were Met’.”

A trill of satisfaction ran through Lance at the sight of the blush that coated Keith’s cheeks. “Hey! They weren’t _ that _ ridiculous. And I gave it back, didn’t I?”

Lance just grinned and went back to reading the villain report. “‘No injuries or destruction of property has been reported, leading heroes to wonder about the villain’s purpose behind setting these fires. The villain has been upgraded to level two threat for risk of escalation’.”

“Setting fires for no reason, huh?” Keith leaned back in his chair. “Hm. Any connection between the places?”

Lance skimmed down the list of bonfire sites. “The only connection is that they’re either empty or abandoned.” 

“What about dates and times?”

“Uhhh.” He flipped through the different papers. “The first one was two months ago, on June 15th at 7:00 PM. The next one was on June 30th at 3:00 AM. Then another one on July 6th at 1:30 PM. Then July 17th at 11:15 PM.” Lance paused. “Hey, wasn’t that the same day you showed up at my front door?”

Looking up from the file, Lance felt a chill go through him at Keith’s expression. With his eyebrows knotted in the middle, his eyes wide, and his mouth slightly open, Keith looked like he was expecting his death at any second. Keith blinked and frowned, his eyes narrowing. “Lance, can you hand me that file?”

“What?”

“Can you hand me the file, please?” Keith repeated, locking his gaze with Lance’s. 

Lance frowned. “I can’t just hand you government property. There’s stuff in here that’s classified.”

“Lance,” Keith said. “Please let me look through the file. _ Please _.”

It was the last ‘please’ that undid Lance. He’d never heard Keith sound so serious, much less ask for something politely. With a pounding heart, Lance lent him the file, watching with wide eyes as Keith immediately opened it to scan over the incident reports. He tore through them, reading the pages faster than Lance had seen anyone read them. Where had Keith learned to read that fast? And how did he know which papers to look at so quickly? Lance still wasn’t sure if letting him read the report was the right idea, and his gut swirled with uncertainty. 

Keith reached the last page and he swallowed. Was it just Lance, or was Keith’s breathing starting to pick up? Lance leaned forward and placed a hand on Keith’s knee. “Keith, what’s—”

“I need to use the bathroom,” Keith interrupted, closing the file with finality.

Lance blinked. What just happened? “Um, okay. I’ll have to go with you, though, to make sure you don’t try to get away.”

Keith nodded. “Fine. I just need to use it.”

Questions bouncing around in Lance’s head, he removed the desk-side cuff and took Keith to the restroom, letting him enter on his own. A sigh escaped Lance as he leaned his back against the door. What had changed Keith’s mood so suddenly? What connection had he made with the bonfire villain? Why did he look so upset? And why did Lance have a really bad feeling about all this?

Lance frowned and checked his watch. Keith should’ve been out by now. He turned and knocked on the door a few times. “Keith? What’s going on in there?”

After another minute with no reply, Lance was ready to break down the door. But before he could, the door swung open and Keith’s hand grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him into the bathroom with a speed that made Lance’s vision blur. His back met the bathroom wall with a loud _ thunk _, and Lance gripped Keith’s arm as he shook his head to right himself.

“Keith, what—” But Lance couldn’t finish his question. He couldn’t even finish his train of thought, because suddenly Keith’s mouth was on his and all coherent thinking left his brain. Lance reacted instantly, melding his lips to fit against Keith’s and gasping at the fire and ice that seared across them. _ More. _ Lance ran shaking hands through the hair at Keith’s nape, prompting the slightest moan from Keith. The sound sent a heat through Lance’s core so intense it was painful. _ More. _ Keith’s hands brushing along Lance’s sides. His teeth grazing the bottom of Lance’s lip. Their bodies so close that Lance could feel Keith’s heartbeat, loud and frantic. Everywhere Keith touched, everything Keith did sent electricity racing along Lance’s skin. _ God, I need more. _

Then Lance realized what he was doing. He realized where he was and, more importantly, realized that he couldn’t feel the handcuffs on Keith’s wrist. He broke off the kiss (to his disappointment) and stood there recovering his breath for a few seconds. Keith’s ragged breathing fanned the side of Lance’s face as their foreheads touched. Lance wanted to continue. _ God, _he wanted to continue. The sight of Keith’s swollen lips and dark eyes had Lance aching with need. But he had to address the problem.

“Where are your handcuffs?” Lance’s voice was too raw for his liking, too hoarse.

Keith smirked. “Oh, you wanna’ introduce handcuffs now? Didn’t know you were that kind of guy.”

“Keith, what did you do with your handcuffs?” Lance demanded.

Keith’s eyes raked over Lance’s lips, sending fresh chills through the latter. “Sorry, Sharp Shooter. Today’s been fun, but it’s time to make my exit.”

“What? Your exit?”

Almost as soon as Lance finished speaking, a loud, blaring noise echoed through the small space. Lance flinched and covered his ears with his hands, and it was then that he realized the handcuffs had been transferred to his own wrist. He stared at Keith. How had he done that? But Keith just winked at him, stuffed a pair of earplugs in his ears, and ran out of the bathroom.

“Damnit, Keith!” Lance yelled. He did his best to follow after him, but the alarm throbbing in Lance’s head slowed him down. After yanking the bathroom door open and quickly covering his ears again, he headed towards the bullpen, which had devolved into chaos. Some of his coworkers ran around trying to figure out what the problem was, others headed straight for the stairs to leave the building, and others still just crouched at their desks with their hands over their ears.

“Lance!” He turned to see Pidge running up to him. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know!” he yelled in reply. Lance could barely hear himself over the clamoring noise.

Hunk staggered over to join them. “Someone must have pulled the fire alarm!”

“Everyone head for the fire exits! Don’t panic and don’t rush!” Shiro yelled. Only snippets of his orders could be heard in the brief pauses between each alarm, but people seemed to get the gist. Lance followed everyone else to the stairs. It took them a while, but soon everyone in the building was safely outside.

Strangely, as soon as the last person had left the building, the alarm stopped. The building looked like it hadn’t been touched, and there was no fire that Lance could see or smell anywhere. He exchanged a glance with friends. What had caused that alarm?

“Is everyone alright?” Shiro asked, raising his voice to be heard among the crowd. Muttered replies and nodding heads answered him. “Good. Slav, damage assessment?”

Slav, one of their key analyzers, faced the building and looked the building up and down, his eyes glowing as he did. The glow disappeared and he turned back to Shiro. “No fires at all, Shiro. But there are several toilets that need maintenance, the vending machine on the third floor only dispenses the top left item, the cafeteria stove has _ way _ too much grit on it, and—”

“Thank you, Slav,” Shiro sighed, earning a few chuckles around him. “Let’s all head back inside and check things out to make sure everything’s okay. Pidge, with me, please.”

“Right.” Pidge took off to catch up to Shiro, who would probably have them analyze the building’s security system to see what had tripped it. With Pidge’s power over technology, they wouldn’t have a problem with it.

“Uh, Lance?” Hunk asked as they headed back into the building. “Why do you have power-suppressing handcuffs on?”

Lance held up his arm. Ugh, he’d forgotten about the handcuffs. He let out a rough sigh. “Keith Kogane happened, that’s why.”

It was funny, watching Hunk’s face go through so many emotions in one second. Confusion, realization, shock, and finally, baffled acceptance. “Um, okay? I guess I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.”

Realizing what Hunk meant, Lance felt his head go up in flames. “No, that’s not—, ugh, I didn’t mean like _ that! _” 

Hunk shrugged. “Whatever, man. It’s your business.”

“Urrrggghhh!!” Lance groaned. “I swear, one of these days I’m gonna’ end up throttling him.”

Hunk’s eyes widened in concern. “Okay, if that’s what you’re both into.”

“I NEVER SAID THAT!!” Lance yelled, taking the stairs two at a time to avoid any more misunderstandings. He sat at his desk with a huff and crossed his arms. Who did Keith think he was? Cornering Lance like that just so he could plot his escape. But then how had Keith known to escape at that moment? There wasn’t a fire alarm in that bathroom, so he couldn’t have pulled it. Had he gotten someone else to do it? No, Keith’d been under Lance’s supervision all day.

Lance sighed and pulled out his desk drawer to remove the cuffs from his wrist, but instead he found a familiar-looking yellow sticky note at the top of the pile of papers. Lance grunted and tore off the note. Then he grabbed some Tylenol while he was at it. He could feel a headache coming on.

_ Sorry I had to run out on you when things were just starting to get good. By the way, you might want to invest in better power-suppression devices. Those handcuffs were way too easy to teleport out of. _

_ PS: You’re welcome for the alarm. Let’s just say there’re things about me you still don’t know ;) _

_ Until next time, Sharp Shooter _

Lance grabbed the pain meds, popped out two gel caps, and downed them in a single gulp of water. Then he sighed and dropped his head in his hands. _ I’m gonna’ need a lot more than Tylenol to get through the rest of the day. _

**Author's Note:**

> hey lovelies!! thank you so much for your comments and interest in this series, i wanna kiss all of you. enjoy part 2!


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